Among politicians, apparently only Libertarian Kathie Glass cares about freedom, liberty, and due process:
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| Kathie Glass Campaign for Texas Governorwww.kathieglass.org
Ph. (512) 308-6936 Press Release Contact: Tom Glass FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION KATHIE GLASS SAYS, “NULLIFY UNCONSTITUTIONAL FEDERAL CONTRACTOR TRAFFIC STOPS” Houston, Texas, Tuesday, November 19, 2013: Today, NBC 5 KXAS in Fort Worth reported that uniformed federal contractors of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, posing as police, are pulling over Texans in Tarrant County and performing passive alcohol tests, as well as pressuring them to blow into breathalyzers, submit to cheek swabs, and provide blood samples. Reportedly, this police-state activity is being done in 30 cities throughout the nation. Kathie Glass, Libertarian for Texas governor, reacted swiftly to the news, saying: “These unconstitutional acts by federal employees must be nullified by Texas state officials. A governor with a nullifying mindset could lead our Constitutional sheriffs and local law enforcement to arrest these individuals for impersonating a public servant and for unlawful restraint. If they claim to be public servants, they should be prosecuted for violating Texas Official Oppression statute criminalizes violation of the rights of citizens by public servants.” “The federal government going beyond the bounds of the Constitution is what is killing our country. The feds will never limit themselves,” Kathie Glass said. “The only way we are going to save our liberty, our Constitution, and our country is to have a strong governor that will lead Texas to nullify such violations of the supreme law of the land.” The NBC 5 report can be found here. |
In case you don’t know what Glass is referring to, your federal government decided, with the help of off duty Ft. Worth police, to stop motorists as part of a “survey”. Even though they claim the stops were voluntary, the people they stopped didn’t have a choice.
“It just doesn’t seem right that you can be forced off the road when you’re not doing anything wrong,” said Kim Cope, who said she was on her lunch break when she was forced to pull over at the roadblock on Beach Street in North Fort Worth.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is spending $7.9 million on the survey over three years, said participation was “100 percent voluntary” and anonymous.
But Cope said it didn’t feel voluntary to her — despite signs saying it was.
“I gestured to the guy in front that I just wanted to go straight, but he wouldn’t let me and forced me into a parking spot,” she said.
Once parked, she couldn’t believe what she was asked next.
“They were asking for cheek swabs,” she said. “They would give $10 for that. Also, if you let them take your blood, they would pay you $50 for that.”
At the very least, she said, they wanted to test her breath for alcohol.
She said she felt trapped.
“I finally did the Breathalyzer test just because I thought that would be the easiest way to leave,” she said, adding she received no money.
Where is Attorney General Greg Abbott? Lt. Governor David Dewhurst? The rest of Texas Republican leadership?
This is outrageous and as a Republican it is sad to see our leaders shy away from the issue.
Good for Kathie Glass. Here is her website: KathieGlass.org. Maybe it is time for Republican voters to take a look.
I’m looking at her!
The Libertarian Party is made up of juvenile delinquents with a death wish. The place to fight the Republican establishment is in the primaries, like Ted Cruz did. Running as a third-party candidate in a general election only opens the door to the Democrats, as happened this month in the Virginia Governor’s race.
If Kathie Glass really wanted to make a constructive difference for the libertarian cause, she would run in the Republican primary, either for Governor, or better yet, challenging John Cornyn for the U.S. Senate. I would consider supporting her against Cornyn, but not as a third-party spoiler in the general election for Governor.
If she were serious in supporting liberty, she would run in the primary. Instead, she is more interested in feeding her ego, like Gary Johnson and so many other Libertarian Party candidates. I would not be surprised if among her financial backers you would find an Obama bundler, as happened this month in Virginia.
Kathie Glass and her unthinking juvenile ego are a threat to liberty in Texas!
Ed,
You miss the point. Where are the Republicans on this issue?
If Kathie were running in the Republican primary next March, the Republican establishment would have to answer her challenge, just like they had to answer Ted Cruz last year, Rand Paul in Kentucky and Mike Lee in Utah. In those races, with no answer or a weak answer, the Republican establishment lost to the libertarian candidate.
Ron Paul himself campaigned for the Republican candidate in the Virginia governor’s race and said that only fools would vote for the Libertarian Party candidate. I agree that the Republicans need to stand up on this issue, but a third-party candidacy is a counter-productive way to do it.
Today the Cato Institute organized a lunch meeting in the Hyatt Regency Houston, and the luncheon speaker, Leo Linbeck III, highlighted the importance of primaries in improving political governance and advancing the libertarian cause.
Ed,
You are still missing the point. It shouldn’t take a “challenger” for ANY Republican candidate to come out FORCEFULLY against this nonsense. This is an example of why people are leaving the Republican Party.
I agree that it should not take a primary challenger or anything else to force a Republican candidate to come out for conservative and libertarian principles, but if we rely on “shoulds,” then we will not get much done for our cause.
The simple fact is that, with a few exceptions, Republican candidates can be a lame bunch who need a fire lit under them. That is because, in general, ambitious and enterprising conservatives and libertarians tend to go into business and the private-sector, while ambitious and enterprising statists and collectivists tend to go into politics and the public-sector.
That is why a candidate like Ted Cruz is so valuable for us, because he is an effective conservative fighter who will not bend on his conservative principles, and who is an articulate and effective advocate for his cause. He is like an appellate advocate arguing his case, and reminds me most of Margaret Thatcher, who qualified as an English barrister.
Another admirable candidate is Bill Frazer, who after a successful business career left the comforts of retirement to devote himself to a race for Houston City Controller, where he came close to winning with 48{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}. It is to Houston’s credit that a candidate like Bill put himself forward; you would never see this today in New York or Chicago.
As for leaving the Republican Party, where is there to go? Unfortunately, many conservative and libertarian voters simply do not bother to vote, and do not get involved in politics, because they do not like the choices. This clearly happened to Mitt Romney last year, and who can say that he did not deserve to be deserted by conservative voters who were not inspired by his lifeless and inept campaign.
Neither abstention from the political process, nor supporting futile third parties will advance the conservative and libertarian cause. As Teddy Roosevelt would have told us, we have to get into the ring and fight for our cause, but a third fighter in the ring only weakens our cause. The fight card has to be decided in the primary election, with a runoff if no one wins a majority.
This recovering republican is not surprised that his former party isn’t loudly opposed to this. Fourth amendment protections apparently aren’t their cup of tea, or at least less important than finding drugs in women’s vaginas.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/troopers-texas-probe-genitals-women-traffic-stops-article-1.1414668
I wish Kathy Glass would run as a Republican, I would vote for her. However, she will not have my vote for Gov as a Libertarian.